Karni Sena protests outside CBFC office in Mumbai

Mumbai, Jan 12: Activists of the Shree Rajput Karni Sena on Friday gathered outside the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) office here on Friday to protest against the coming release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Padmaavat”.

A few were taken away by the police.

Mumbai: Karni Sena workers detained by Police while they were protesting outside Central Board Of Film Certification office against the film #Padmavat, say, 'changing the name of the film doesn't suffice' pic.twitter.com/XgbeTXzKXv

Members of the Rajput outfit, under the leadership of Sukhdev Singh Gogameri, gathered outside the CBFC office to express dissent over the censor board’s decision to allow the release of the controversial movie.

Jeevan Singh Solanki, a Karni Sena member, told IANS: “We will not let the film release in the country under any circumstances. Some states have already agreed with us and therefore banned it. We want the film to be banned in the whole country.

“We will not stop here. We are going to urge our Prime Minister to ban the film because the movie will ruin the heritage and culture of Rajput community. The filmmaker has played with the sentiments of the Rajputs,” Solanki added.

Asked if they were ready to watch the film pre-release to clear their doubts, Solanki said: “The whole projection of our community is wrong. We do not want to see the film. It should be banned.”

Virendra Singh, the spokesperson of Karni Sena, on Friday told IANS that members from the outfit and even other Rajput associations assembled here to protest.

The film, cleared by the CBFC after five modifications and renamed from “Padmavati” to “Padmavat” and now titled “Padmaavat”, is scheduled to release on January 25 across India. The film will, however, not be released in Rajasthan.

CBFC gave it the green signal with a U/A certification in consultation with a three-member advisory panel.

The Rajput outfit had first expressed concern after Ranveer Singh — one of the three lead actors of the movie — made a casual statement back in July 2016.

He was reportedly asked if he was playing the role of a villain in the film, and he had said that he could go two notches beyond playing the role of a villain if he was given two intimate scenes with the film’s leading lady Deepika Padukone.

This led to the question whether the movie showcases any intimacy between Khilji and Rani Padmavati. Subsequently, Karni Sena activists assaulted Bhansali on the film’s set in Jaipur and another set in Kolhapur was vandalised.

Mumbai, March 19: Superstar Salman Khan on Monday treated his fans to the first look from his much-anticipated film “Race 3”. He will be seen as racer Sikander, who is smart, emotional but mysterious as well.

With a serious look on his face, the actor is seen wearing a smart suit with stylish glares and holding a gun in the image.

“I will introduce my ‘Race 3’ family to you this week… My name is Sikander. Selfless over selfish. ‘Race 3’ this Eid,” Salman posted on Twitter while sharing the image.

Mumbai, March 19: Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone has the ‘Most Followed Account’ and cricket star Virat Kohli has got the ‘Most Engaged Account’ on Instagram, according to the Instagram Awards which have been announced for the first time in India.

Kohli has 19.8 million followers as on Monday. His account generated the biggest number of engagements when all likes and comments from the content that he shared in 2017 — except ‘Story’ views and video views — were aggregated.

The list, which acknowledges photo-sharing platform Instagram’s most engaging community members, also recognises Emerging Account and 20 Million Milestones.

In the Most Followed Account category, Priyanka Chopra trailed behind Deepika’s 22.4 million followers with a count of 22 million, and Alia Bhatt rounded up the top three with 20.8 million followers.

Deepika said in a statement: “Staying connected with my fans and loved ones is extremely important to me. I value the love, support and connection I share with them and I hope I continue to remain true and authentic.”

Actor Ishaan Khatter, who will be seen in “Dhadak”, has been named for India’s ‘Emerging Account’ for growing his fanbase on Instagram significantly throughout 2017.

For Ishaan, Instagram is his most loved social media platform.

“It’s a non-stop source for inspiration from people and personalities all over the world. I find it especially enjoyable because it’s about connecting through pictures and videos. On a more personal note it’s almost like a time machine for your memories and a way to immortalise your favourite moments.

“It’s lovely connecting with others through this medium and I look forward to being inspired and hopefully inspiring more people in the future, too,” he said.

Alia also got a ‘milestone plaque’ with Shraddha Kapoor in recognition for building a community of 20 million followers.

“We are thrilled about the possibilities that our partnership with one of the world’s biggest superstars, Aamir Khan, will open up for Vivo in India,” said Kenny Zeng, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), Vivo India.

“This new association will enable us to explore newer avenues to reach our customers as we script our future growth strategy in India,” Zeng added.

Aamir will soon be seen in a full-fledged marketing campaign around the upcoming products and a new TV commercial.

“Vivo as a brand embodies the spirit of innovation and meaningful disruption,” said Aamir.

“Over the years, the brand has been constantly pushing the boundaries of smartphone technology. I am enthused to be a part of Vivo’s transformative journey in India,” the actor added.

Vivo is also associated with popular sports platforms such as Indian Premier League (IPL) and Pro-Kabaddi League in the country.

Vivo entered India in late 2014.

With a manufacturing unit in Greater Noida, the company has a robust distribution network across the country both online and offline — catering to over 400 cities in 22 states backed by 400 service centres.